Sector Round Up - 06/09/2016

The Informer
Posted on: 06/09/2016

Tidal firm in first electricity milestone

Nova Innovation has deployed what it has described as the world’s first fully-operational array of tidal power turbines off the coast of Shetland.The company has linked two 100kW turbines in the Bluemull Sound between the islands of Unst and Yell, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea.

German solar panel maker Solarwatt has chosen BHC Distributors and its sister company Solar Power NI as its partners for its push into the British Isles.

Pol Spronck, International Sales Manager at Solarwatt, said: “We’ll be working more closely with these companies to provide the support they need to bring the latest in renewable energy efficiency and value to households and businesses across Northern Ireland and the Republic.”

Solarwatt announced in July that it wanted to grow its share of the UK solar and storage markets.

Lochbroom Community Renewables has reached its £900,000 fundraising target to build a community-owned hydro-electric power scheme on the Allt a’ Mhuilinn burn south of Ullapool.

Sir John Fowler, the civil engineer involved in work on the Forth Bridge and the London Undergound, is believed to have had a hydro-scheme running on Allt a’ Mhuilinn during the late 1890s.

Tim Gauntlett, Chair of Broom Power, said: “The whole area of Ullapool, Loch Broom and beyond has responded to the call for community engagement and given this project a financial boost of confidence.”

Swedish power company Vattenfall has launched a £3 million research programme to study the environmental impact of offshore wind farms.The work will be carried out at the developer’s European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) in Aberdeen.

Adam Ezzamel, Project Director for the EOWDC, said: “In-depth scientific research and monitoring in a real-time environment is recognised as vital to maximising the learning opportunities for the offshore wind sector.”